Consider the following statements regarding the Swadeshi Movement and nationalist awakening in the Madras Presidency: 1. V.O. Chidambaram Pillai established the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 to challenge the British shipping monopoly along the Tuticorin-Colombo route. 2. The Tirunelveli uprising of 1908 broke out in protest against the arbitrary arrest of nationalist leaders V.O. Chidambaram Pillai and Subramania Siva. 3. The Madras Mahajana Sabha, founded in 1884, actively opposed all forms of industrialization and advocated exclusively for agrarian reforms.

💡 Solution & Explanation

The Swadeshi Movement in Tamil Nadu witnessed fiery nationalist mobilization, spearheaded by leaders like V.O. Chidambaram Pillai launching indigenous steam navigation to break colonial commercial dominance. The arrest of VOC and Subramania Siva in 1908 triggered massive public protests and the historic Tirunelveli strike. However, statement three is incorrect because the Madras Mahajana Sabha was a prominent early political association that advocated for constitutional reforms, civil liberties, and industrial development alongside agricultural concerns. This freedom struggle history is frequently tested.